The shared team inbox puts every WhatsApp conversation from every connected number into one screen your whole team can work from, each person with their own login. Chats can be assigned so everyone knows who owns what. You resolve or snooze chats when you're done, leave private notes for colleagues, and answer faster with quick replies, saved files and keyboard shortcuts. This guide walks through the WhatsApp Inbox from top to bottom.
The inbox at a glance
Open WhatsApp Inbox in the sidebar. The screen has three parts:
- Left: the chat list. Your availability switch, New chat, the number picker, labels, search and filters.
- Middle: the conversation. Messages, the 24-hour window indicator, reply mode, assignment, snooze, notes and resolve.
- Right: the contact panel (press c to show or hide it). Opt-in status, labels, custom fields, notes, campaigns received, form answers and the date of the first chat.
New messages appear in real time. Unread chats show a green count, and team members get push and in-app notifications.
Find the right chats
- Status tabs: Open, Snoozed, Resolved and All, each with a count.
- Assignment tabs: All, Mine and Unassigned. Start each shift on Unassigned.
- Number: under Phone Numbers, pick which WhatsApp number's chats to show.
- Labels: click a label to show only chats with that label. Click All to clear the filter.
- Search: type in Search chats and messages… to match names, numbers and message text. Message matches are listed separately with the matching words highlighted, and chats on your other numbers appear under Chats on other numbers.
Messenger and Instagram chats
If you've connected Facebook Pages, their Messenger chats and their Instagram DMs land in this inbox too, with a small channel badge on each chat's picture. With more than one inbox the list opens on All inboxes; use the picker to show one number, Page or Instagram account. Everything on this page works the same there, except templates, WhatsApp Flows and quoting, which are WhatsApp only. See Connect Facebook Messenger & Instagram DMs.
Assignment and auto-assign
Use Assign to at the top of a chat to give it to a teammate, or Assign to me (shortcut a). The chat list shows each chat's owner, or Unassigned.
The workspace owner can turn on automatic assignment under Permissions → Assign new chats automatically:
| Mode | How it works |
|---|---|
| Off | People pick chats themselves |
| Round robin | Teammates take turns: whoever was given a chat longest ago gets the next one |
| Least busy | Whoever has the fewest open chats gets the next one |
Auto-assign only considers teammates who have inbox access, can see the chat under their label limits, and are marked available.
Available and away
The switch at the top of the chat list shows Available or Away. Click it when you go on a break or end your shift. While you're away, auto-assign skips you. Chats already assigned to you stay yours.
Open, resolved and snoozed
- Resolve (shortcut r) when you're done. The chat moves to Resolved and reopens automatically if the customer writes again. Press Reopen to bring it back yourself.
- Snooze hides a chat until later: 1 hour, 3 hours, Tomorrow 9 AM, Next Monday 9 AM, or a date and time you pick. It comes back sooner if the customer writes. Use Unsnooze now to bring it back early.
The 24-hour window and template fallback
WhatsApp lets businesses send free-form messages only within 24 hours of the customer's last message. The chat header shows where you stand:
- 24h window open · closes in 5 hours: reply with anything.
- 24h window closed · template only or No customer message yet · template only: the reply box is replaced by a notice and a Send template button.
Press Send template (shortcut t), pick an approved template, fill in its variables and send. When the customer replies, the window opens again.
Replying
- Text: type and press Enter.
- Quick replies: type / followed by a shortcut, for example
/price. Pick with the arrow keys and Enter. Placeholders such as{first_name}and{agent}are filled in automatically. - Attachments: press + for Image, Document, Video or From library. Library files are your saved price lists, menus and catalogues. Text in the reply box goes along as the caption.
- Voice notes: press and hold the microphone, speak, and release to send. Allow microphone access in your browser the first time.
- Forms: press Send a form (WhatsApp Flow) to send a published WhatsApp Flows form while the window is open.
Hover over any message to Reply (quote it), React with an emoji, or Forward it to another chat. A quoted reply shows the original above your message, just like on a phone. Esc cancels a quote. When forwarding, chats with a closed window are marked Template only. Sent messages show WhatsApp ticks, and failed ones show the reason, for example Not delivered: ….
Start a new chat
Press New chat, type a number with the country code (for example 923001234567) or pick a contact, and press Start. The first message to a new chat must be an approved template.
Private notes and @mentions
Press Note to write something only your team sees, for example "Customer paid by bank transfer, waiting for receipt." Type @ and a teammate's name, or click their name under Mention, to notify them. Press Save note or Ctrl/Cmd+Enter. Notes appear in the conversation with an amber background and never reach the customer.
Labels
Labels are coloured tags for chats, such as "New lead", "Paid", "COD pending" or "VIP". Press Create Label in the chat list to add one, then use the tag icon on a chat (Toggle Label) to add or remove it. Labels power filters, campaign audiences, follow-up triggers and managers' label permissions. Hover over a label and click × to delete it from every chat.
Bot mode and human mode
Each chat has a Reply Mode switch:
- 🤖 Bot: the AI assistant or a chatbot may answer this chat.
- 👤 Human: automation is paused, and your team replies.
As soon as a team member sends a message, the chat switches to human mode. Automation only takes over again after 30 minutes without a reply from your side. Bot messages are marked 🤖 Bot, so everyone can see what the customer was told.
Opt-out handling
If a customer sends exactly STOP, unsubscribe, opt out, band karo or a similar phrase, ReploChat marks them as opted out. They are skipped by every campaign, follow-up sequence, date reminder and store automation. Sending START or subscribe opts them back in. The contact panel shows Opted out of marketing with the date. You can still reply to them in the inbox when they write.
Keyboard shortcuts
Press ? in the inbox to see this list. Shortcuts are off while you type.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| j or Alt+↓ | Next chat |
| k or Alt+↑ | Previous chat |
| a | Assign to me |
| r | Resolve or reopen |
| t | Send a template |
| c | Show or hide contact details |
| / | Write a reply |
| Esc | Leave the reply box, cancel a quote |
| ? | Show the shortcut list |
Frequently asked
Who can see which chats? The owner sees everything. Managers need the WhatsApp Inbox module and may be limited to certain labels. See team & permissions.
Can I start a follow-up sequence from a chat? Yes. Use the Follow-up button in the chat header. See follow-up sequences.